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The Taint
The Taint The Taint is the magical sickness/disease created by Daburo, the King of the Oni, to corrupt and control people. The Taint is simply malevolent energy spawned by Daburo and his hate for everything that the Celestial Emperor has accomplished, that he uses to empower those to pledge themselves to him. Oftentimes, it manifests itself as purple or black energy. The Taint affects the body, mind, and spirit. It mars flesh, maddens the brain, and poisons the soul. The degree by which one is corrupted plays an important role, however. Those who have only succumbed slightly to the Taint do not show its effects as much as someone who has succumbed completely to it. Individuals turn to the Taint for many reasons, but most do not fully understand what they are getting themselves into, when they receive Daburo’s power. The most common reason people give themselves to the taint is because they are seeking quick, easy ways to accumulate it. This is how Daburo first tempts his victims. He supplies them with only a fraction of the power they can have, and allows them to slowly sign themselves to him in their quest for more. Others are truly vile and evil, however, and enter into Daburo’s compact willingly, knowing the consequences of it. The Taint is measured in a Taint score, that is divided into three main categories: mild, moderate, and severe. The amount of power that the Taint bestows upon the individual, as well as the physical, mental, and spiritual repercussions of it vary from category to category. An individual’s Taint score is dependent on their Constitution and their Wisdom. A character can have a number of Taint points equal to half of their combined Constitution and Wisdom. The effects that the Taint has on the individual is dependent on how badly they are corrupted, mildly, moderately, or severely. A Tainted individual can be cured, using multiple methods. All involve Kuni Crystal, which is an anathema to the Taint. Those who willingly wear Kuni Amulets erase accrued Taint points at rate of 1 point per day, so long as the item is worn. Those who unwillingly wear Kuni Amulets erase accrued Taint points at a rate of 1 per week, so long as the item is work. Mild Taint 1/3 of (Half + Wisdom) Nausea Vomiting Pain in joints Hair goes white Skin seeps greasy “sweat” Phlegmy, wracking cough Pale complexion Sunken eyes Cracked lips Mild paranoia Disorientation Mold hallucination Increased aggressiveness Side Effects: +2 profane bonus to all attack and damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and ability checks. Taint Detection: Kuni Crystal items, as well as magical spells, detect the presence of the taint within the creatures. Smite Attack (Su): Once per day, the tainted creature may make a smite attack that deals extra damage to those not under the influence of the Taint. The creature can add his/her total Taint points to his/her damage roll, as a profane bonus. Moderate Taint 2/3 of (Half + Wisdom) Bones begin to warp Skin growths Sores and scars Eyes cloud, and blood vessels constantly break Lips shrink back from the gums Gums swell, bleed, and rot Bleeding from eyes, nose, mouth, ears and/or lips Hair falls out Seizures wrack the body in pain Hears voices Severe paranoia Disregard for hygiene and other cultural mores Side Effects: +4 profane bonus to all attack and damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and ability checks. Taint Detection: Kuni Crystal items, as well as magical spells, detect the presence of the taint within the individual. Smite Attack (Su): Once per day, the tainted creature may make a smite attack that deals extra damage to those not under the influence of the Taint. The creature can add his/her total Taint points to his/her damage roll, as a profane bonus. Kuni Weakness: Kuni Crystal weapons deal an additional 2d6 points of damage to Tainted creatures. Taint Suppression (Su): The creature can, with a Concentration check, make his/her Taint suppression less obvious. The creatures rolls a Concentration check, and subtracts from it his/her Taint score. The creatures may temporarily subtract the difference between the two numbers to his total Taint score. He/she is not rid of the Taint, but rather, is hiding its presence from others. In order to hide the effects of the Taint, a successful Concentration check must be made every minute the creatures wants to suppress it. Cloud of Taint (Su): The creatures can call upon the power of the Taint to release a cold, cloying cloud of greasy darkness that is 20 feet in radius. Those enveloped by the cloud take 1d8 points of profane damage per two Hit Dice (maximum of 5d8) the Tainted creatures possesses. The cloud can also sicken those who are enveloped by it, bestowing upon them a –2 penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks. A successful Fortitude saving throw (DC = 10 + creature’s total HD + creature’s Constitution modifier)) negates the –2 penalty. Creatures with a Taint score are immune to the secondary sickness effects. Severe Taint Equals or exceeds (Half + Wisdom) Flesh rots away, leaving openings in the body Mutated physical form Irresistible evil urges Side Effects: +6 profane bonus to all attack and damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and ability checks. Taint Detection: Kuni Crystal items, as well as magical spells, detect the presence of the taint within the individual. Smite Attack (Su): Once per day, the tainted creature may make a smite attack that deals extra damage to those not under the influence of the Taint. The creature can add his/her total Taint points to his/her damage roll, as a profane bonus. Kuni Weakness: Kuni Crystal weapons deal an additional 2d6 points of damage to Tainted creatures. Taint Suppression (Su): The creature can, with a Concentration check, make his/her Taint suppression less obvious. The creatures rolls a Concentration check, and subtracts from it his/her Taint score. The creatures may temporarily subtract the difference between the two numbers to his total Taint score. He/she is not rid of the Taint, but rather, is hiding its presence from others. In order to hide the effects of the Taint, a successful Concentration check must be made every minute the creatures wants to suppress it. Cloud of Taint (Su): The creatures can call upon the power of the Taint to release a cold, cloying cloud of greasy darkness that is 20 feet in radius. Those enveloped by the cloud take 1d8 points of profane damage per two Hit Dice (maximum of 5d8) the Tainted creatures possesses. The cloud can also sicken those who are enveloped by it, bestowing upon them a –2 penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks. A successful Fortitude saving throw (DC = 10 + creature’s total HD + creature’s Constitution modifier)) negates the –2 penalty. Creatures with a Taint score are immune to the secondary sickness effects. Breath of Taint (Su): The creature can breath a cloud of pure Taint in a 15-foot cone. Creatures within the cone must succeed at a Reflex saving throw (DC = 10 + creature’s total HD + creature’s Constitution modifier). A successful save negates the attack. Failure results in those within the cone of receiving 1d3 Taint points. Summon Oni (Su): The creature can summon an Oni (randomly determined) to its side. The Oni is sentient, but does its best to aid the Tainted creature, in whatever way it deems best, if any. If the Oni is destroyed/banished, the Tainted creature must wait 1d6 rounds before it can summon another Oni.